Choosing Airports

Stanford is roughly equidistant from the San Francisco and San Jose airports. Although San Francisco is the largest of the three area airports and offers the most airlines and flights, some visitors find that San Jose’s smaller size makes it a somewhat more convenient alternative, especially for domestic flights.

Where to Stay

Blocks of rooms have been reserved at several area hotels. Unless indicated, all hotels are a short walk to the free Marguerite Shuttle. There is also a list of hotels that are near CalTrain stations (there is a CalTrain station at Palo Alto).

Cardinal Hotel Group Code: EMI 2015Call for rates and booking: 650-323-51011.2 miles from Stanford

Stanford is easily accessible from throughout the San Francisco Bay area, including San Francisco, Berkeley, and San Jose. We encourage you to download and print both the Parking and Circulation Map(PDF) and the Visitor Map (PDF) and bring them with you.

Campus Maps

Transportation Maps

Area Maps

If you are using a maps Web site to plan your route, the easiest way to locate Stanford is to enter our zip code 94305.

Directions

The following driving directions are to the Stanford Visitor Center.

From Highway 101 North & South

Exit onto Embarcadero Road and travel west, following the signs directing you to Stanford University. About three miles after you exit the freeway, Embarcadero Road becomes Galvez Street as you cross El Camino Real. Stay in the left lane and continue past the stadium. The entrance to the Visitor Center Lot is on the left just beyond Nelson Road.

From Highway 280 North & South

Exit onto Sand Hill Road and follow the signs for Stanford University. Heading east, drive approximately 3 miles to the Stanford Shopping Center. Turn right onto Arboretum Road (Nordstrom is on your right). Stay on Arboretum until it ends, then turn right onto Galvez Street. Move to the left lane and continue past the stadium. The entrance to the Visitor Center Lot is on the left just beyond Nelson Road.

Parking

Parking is very limited at Stanford, so we strongly encourage you to take public transportation or carpool. There are a limited number of discounted parking spaces at the Galvez lot ($8/day). See below for instructions:

1. First park and remember your stall number2. Touch any key to exit intro screen3. Enter your stall number and Press [OK] to Continue4. Select #1 to Purchase a Ticket. 5. On the next screen, select (1) for Incremental or (2) for All Day Parking. If arriving after 10:45 use the incremental option without an event code and skip to step 9. 6. If All Day Parking is selected, select “Yes” when it asks if you have an event code7. Enter the event code number (3865) and press OK8. Once the code is entered, you’ll receive a message that says “Get Ready For Payment”9. Insert your Visa/Mastercard or cash payment (if incremental rate was selected and paying by credit card, increase the expiration time by pressing the ‘1’ key). If paying by cash, depositing more money increases the expiration time10. Select OK to complete transaction and print your receipt. No need to display receipt on dashboard

You may park at any pay area around campus, but be aware that some areas have limited hours.